Top Polishing

I started a new thread and (http://maplered.com) copied my other post here.

Mark,

Yours is the best I've seen. I just havn't perfected that technique yet. And I was having trouble with the hand (http://maplered.com) ibond wanting to pop out in some patches especially when I patch the purple stuff like in santa cecelia which seems to be in alot of Colors (http://www.g640.net) .

I'll go ahead and (http://maplered.com) give you the process I have been fiddling with...It may not be groundbreaking or new to you guys who have been in the biz for a long time but I dont remember seeing it posted here or at wholigars forum. I did a seam today this way and (http://maplered.com) it looks pretty good...sorry no pics yet my camera bit the dust so I'll need to get another one. But in mean time I'll give you an overview of what I'm doing so you guys can test it if you like. The seam process may be good for someone like myself that hasnt got your technique perfected.

So here goes:

1. I use Akemi Marmokitt Super and (http://maplered.com) dab in in the chip or seam. In the seam it is a topcoat like when you use super glue after your normal colored adhesive has dried good and (http://maplered.com) been scraped off.

2. After it dries good and (http://maplered.com) hard I lay masking tape on each side and (http://maplered.com) scrape it down level to the thickness of the masking tape with a razor blade at a 90.

3. Then I take normal sand (http://maplered.com) paper and (http://maplered.com) cut about a 6 or 8 " strip about an inch or 2 wide and (http://maplered.com) wrap it tight around a plastic putty knife. Then wet sand (http://maplered.com) the patch by hand (http://maplered.com) with 400 grit and (http://maplered.com) 600 grit so the only thing getting sand (http://maplered.com) ed is the patch and (http://maplered.com) the surrounding area is not dulled of coarse because the paper wont do that to Granite (http://tanbrown.org) . Be careful not to use anything lower than 400...I used 220 on a test patch and (http://maplered.com) it started to dull the polish of the surrounding Granite (http://tanbrown.org) .

4. If you need to make it pop then I use a buffing pad that I used to use to buff the gel coat on cultured Marble (http://www.lightemprador.com) tops. Its a 50/50 pad...50%polyester/50% cotton. I'm thinking it is about a 10" or 12" pad. The same size pad they sell in auto parts store to buff cars. Prep the pad with a red rouge-type bar. I'll check the name of the rouge we use and (http://maplered.com) post it on here tomorrow...its better than some of the bars out there. It polishes up fantastic. If you need more polish than that which is not likely you can use a 100% cotton pad and (http://maplered.com) Gel Gloss brand (http://maplered.com) liquid.

5. When doing a seam it would have to be perfectly level with no lippage or the only way to do it is your way Mark. But if you're using the Gorilla Grip it may be able to be done. The seam I did today had no lippage so it worked very well.



Origianally I used clear gel coat that is used for the cultured Marble (http://www.lightemprador.com) but decided to use the super penatrating acrylic thinking the gel coat might want to pull out like the hand (http://maplered.com) ibond was doing and (http://maplered.com) the gelcoat takes alot longer to cure.

So that's it.

Is that common knowledge for you guys or something new? Or are there certain instances that you know of that I may have a problem using the Akemi Super this way?
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Darren Dillman, SFA